He's in the Army now
by Lord Mesron
Summary: After high school Xander joins the Army.


Title: **He's in the Army Now**

Author: Lord Mesron (Scott R. Barnett)

Feedback: Much appreciated, though no flames please.

Archive: Please e-mail me for permission if you want to archive elsewhere.

Disclaimer: The characters from the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer show belong to WB (and/or UPN), Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, Sandollar and Joss Whedon. The others are original characters created by myself.

A/N: I know that Xander is receiving promotions rather quickly in comparison with real life, however this is fiction.

Summary: After high school Xander joins the Army. The story goes AU after Graduation Part 2 (season 3).

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Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale, CA

June 22, 1999

It was the day after graduation. Buffy, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, Giles and Xander stood on the school property looking at the ruble that was once the Sunnydale High School. They had not made any plans to meet here this morning. They were all just kind of drawn here. The gang had been standing there in silence, lost in their own thoughts for about twenty minutes now. Finally, Willow stepped forward and offered up a prayer for all those that lost their lives in the fight yesterday.

After the prayer they all turned towards each other.

"Well, I have to be going. The bus for Sacramento leaves in a couple of hours." said Xander.

Willow, Buffy and Oz would be attending UC Sunnydale in the fall. Cordelia on the other hand was headed for L.A. She was going to try to break into the acting business. Xander was also leaving Sunnydale. He had decided a few months ago to join the army. He had met with the U.S. Army recruiter and had signed up. He was due to report for basic training by six o'clock today. The bus that he was catching would get him there in plenty of time.

His statement brought tears to the eyes of the three girls, and lumps in the throats for Giles and Oz. They were all sad to see him go, even Cordelia. She and Xander had made up about a month ago. They had not started dating again, but they had become close friends. In fact Xander had paid for her prom dress when she couldn't afford it. She hadn't known who had paid for it until he told her at the prom. Even though they weren't dating he had taken her to the prom. Actually he had escorted both her and Buffy. Neither of them had had dates. Angel had left town already and Cordelia's date had fallen to a vampire two weeks before the prom. They had only been dating for a couple of months.

Just then Joyce Summers drove up to them. She got out of her Jeep and walked over to them. She put her arms around her daughter and gave her a hug.

"Hello everyone. I didn't expect to find you all here." said Joyce.

"We were all just kind of drawn here this morning." explained Willow.

"Oh. Well, Xander are you ready to go? You don't want to miss your bus." said Joyce.

"Yeah, I'm ready." said Xander. He picked up his duffel and followed Joyce and Buffy to Joyce's Jeep. They were giving him a ride to the bus station.

Before he got in he got a hug from Willow and Cordelia and handshakes from Oz and Giles.

"I'll be back someday. Take care of yourselves." said Xander.

He then got into the Jeep and they pulled away. When he looked back he saw Willow crying and being comforted by Oz. Cordelia was also crying and being comforted by Giles.

About ten minutes later they pulled up in front of the bus station. He got out and got a hug from both Joyce and Buffy. He waved goodbye to them and got onto the bus. As it pulled away he saw Buffy crying in Joyce's arms.

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Summers' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

October 1, 1999

"Girls, its Xander on the phone." shouted Joyce.

She smiled when she saw Buffy and Willow run into the living room and grab the phone. They put him on speaker. Willow was now living with Joyce and Buffy. Her parents had decided to move to San Francisco and Willow had wanted to stay here in Sunnydale. Joyce had agreed to let her move in with them.

"Xander! How's it going?" asked Willow.

"It's going great. I graduate from Basic on Friday and I just received my orders. I am to report to Fort Bragg in North Carolina immediately after graduation. They selected me to test for inclusion in the Green Berets. Isn't that great? They're one of the most elite groups in the entire U.S. military." said Xander. You could hear the excitement in his voice.

"That's great! Congratulations!" said Buffy.

They talked for a little more before Xander had to go. He promised to call them again after he got settled in at Fort Bragg.

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Summers' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

November 1, 1999

"Girls, its Xander." shouted Joyce.

Joyce smiled when she saw Buffy, Willow and Cordelia run in. The girls loved getting calls from Xander. They usually talked for as long as Xander was able to. They would fill him in on what was going on here in Sunnydale, and he would tell them about life in the Army.

Cordelia had moved into the Summers' house a couple of weeks ago. She had decided to return to Sunnydale when the acting didn't work out. She was now attending UC Sunnydale along with Buffy and Willow. She was going on an academic scholarship. Joyce had taken her in as she couldn't afford to live on campus and her parents had moved away from Sunnydale now that they were broke. Joyce now basically had three daughters, and loved it. Cordelia had really improved over time and was now a nice, caring girl. She was no longer the tactless bitch that she had been in high school. The three girls were now the best of friends.

"Hey girls. Guess what? I made it. I was chosen out of fifty recruits for membership in the Green Berets. I just got the word yesterday. I've been assigned to a unit and will be attending six months of intense training." said Xander.

"Congratulations Xander!" said Cordy.

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Summers' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

May 15, 2000

"Girls, its Xander." shouted Joyce.

Joyce and Giles both smiled when they saw Buffy, Willow, Tara and Cordelia run in. There were now two more residents of the Summers' household. Giles and Joyce had fallen in love and were now engaged. Giles had moved in a month ago. The other new resident was Tara Maclay. Back in November of last year, Oz had left town. Shortly after this had happened Willow had met Tara. They had become friends, and later lovers. Tara had been living on campus, but when the spring semester started she ran into a problem. Her father refused to pay for her schooling anymore. He had wanted her to move back home. She had refused. Mr. Maclay had then, figuratively, thrown her out of his house. She had enough money saved to afford tuition, with the help of a student loan, but couldn't afford boarding. Willow talked to Joyce about it and she agreed to let Tara move in. She now shared a room with Willow.

Whereas the other girls knew Xander from growing up with him, Tara only knew him through his phone calls, his letters and what the other girls had told her about him. It didn't matter though. She had grown to like him as well. She looked forward to his calls and letters as much as the other girls did.

They talked for almost twenty minutes this time. The girls told him all about college life and Slaying. In return he told them about the training he had been going through.

"Guess what? I'm going on my first mission in two days. My unit is shipping out, but they won't tell us where until we're enroute. This is due to the classified nature of the mission." said Xander.

"Good luck Xander. I hope everything goes well." said Tara.

"I hope so too. Remember I love you all. Give my love to Joyce and Giles as well. I won't be able to talk to you again until after we return. I don't know when that will be. Keep safe." said Xander, and hung up.

Joyce and Giles watched the four girls sit there holding each other. They were all worried for Xander's safety.

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Summers-Giles' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

October 1, 2000

"Girls, its Xander." shouted Joyce.

Joyce and Giles both smiled when they saw Buffy, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, Dawn and Faith run in. Yes, there was yet another new resident. Faith had awoken from her coma a couple of months ago. When she had awoken she had been confused and had run away from the hospital. When the Council of Watchers had received word that she had woken up they sent in a retrieval team. Giles heard about it, and with the girls' help, forced them to leave empty handed. He then, after talking to his wife, Joyce, about it, took Faith into their home and had been working with her since. In the last two months they had all seen a huge improvement in Faith. She had really turned herself around and had come back to the side of light. They were all now good friends.

Another change was that with Faith moving in they were really in a bind for room. Giles and Joyce made the decision to hire a builder to add an addition onto the house. The new addition added four more bedrooms and two more bathrooms. Giles, somehow, had forced the Council to pay for it.

"Guess what? I was asked to try out for Delta Force. The commanders of Delta Force were impressed with my record and want me to try out for the team. I'm going to go for it. It's the U.S. military's elite anti-terrorist team." said Cpl. Xander Harris.

"That's great! I hope you make it Xander. Thanks for the letter you sent me last week. It really meant a lot to me." said Faith.

Xander had sent her a letter after he had heard about the progress that she had made. He had tried to encourage her to continue her progress in the letter.

"You're welcome. Well, I have to go. Sorry I couldn't stay on very long this time. I'll try to write you guys an extra long letter this week to make up for it. I love you all." said Xander.

"Bye." said a chorus of girls.

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Summers-Giles' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

November 25, 2000

"Girls, its Xander." shouted Giles.

Giles and Joyce smiled when they saw Buffy, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, Dawn, Faith and Amy run in to the room to answer the phone. It was their periodic call from Xander, and all of the girls had huge smiles on their faces. They loved getting calls from him. Even Faith and Amy had joined the Xander fan club, as Joyce and Giles jokingly called it.

The new addition to the house couldn't have come soon enough. About four weeks ago, Willow and Tara had finally found the spell to change Amy Madison back to a human being. She had been a rat for three years now. After they did this she found out that her father and stepmother had moved away from Sunnydale. She talked to them on the phone and patched up things with them. When Joyce and Giles heard that she didn't have anywhere to live they offered her a place with them. Thus making the number of girls living there seven.

Since then both her and Faith had been working with Giles and Willow to finish their high school classes. They would be done by December and receive their diplomas. They both wanted to attend UC Sunnydale starting in January.

"As you saw in my last letter, I made it. I am now an official member of Delta Force. The other great news is that they also promoted me to Sergeant at the same time." said Xander.

"That's great! We're all happy for you Xander." said Amy.

"Are you going on any new missions?" asked Dawn.

"Actually we are. We ship out in two days. I won't be able to call again until after we return. If I can send a letter, I will. Until then, keep safe. I love you all." said Xander.

"We love you too. Happy Thanksgiving. Bye." said Buffy.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

November 25, 2000

"How's your harem, Harris?" asked Lt. John Davis.

"Ha ha. Very funny, LT. They're doing great. Amy and Faith are really coming along according to Giles and Joyce. They've really fit in with the other girls." said Xander.

"Glad to hear it. You're a lucky man Xander. You have a lot of friends that really care about you. Besides, I saw the picture you got of all of them last week. They are some pretty hot looking girls that you have as friends."

"Yes they are. I love them all, but mainly in a brotherly way. I'm an only child, so they're like the siblings that I never had."

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Lowell House

Sunnydale, CA

November 26, 2000

Graham Miller walked into Riley Finn's room and got a nerf basketball in the face for his trouble.

"Thanks." said Graham.

"That'll teach you to knock first." laughed Forrest Gates.

"Ha ha." said Graham.

"What's up Graham?" asked Riley.

"I went out with Cordy last night. Remind me to call ahead next time and see if they had a call from Xander that day." said Graham.

"Spent the night listening to her talking about Xander, eh? Been there myself with Buffy. I try to avoid the same night for a date if I've heard they got a call or a letter." said Riley.

"What's going on?" asked Forrest.

"You know Cordy and Buffy, right?" asked Graham.

"Yeah. They usually hang out with four other girls." said Forrest.

"That would be Willow, Tara, Amy and Faith. Well, they all live in the same house. They live with Buffy's Mom, stepfather and younger sister, Dawn. Her Mom and stepfather took all of the girls in when they didn't have anywhere else to live. Most of them knew each other in high school. Tara is the only one from out of the area." explained Riley.

"Ok. So who's this Xander character that you're griping about?" asked Forrest.

"He's their best friend. And I mean all of theirs best friend. Evidently he grew up with Willow, Amy and Cordy. He then met Buffy and Faith when they moved here during their high school years. I believe he only knows Tara from talking to her on the phone, though. He even dated Cordy for a while and took both Buffy and Cordy to their senior prom when their dates disappeared." said Graham.

Forrest understood what Graham meant by disappeared.

"Interesting. So what's up with his calls, and why haven't we seen him around if he's so popular with those girls?" asked Forrest.

"He's in the army. He evidently joined up right after high school. They haven't seen him in person since the day after they graduated. I looked up his record the other day and he just got selected for Delta Force. He was in the Green Berets. He also made Sergeant in just around a year and a half." said Riley.

"As for the calls, that's the highlight of the girls' week. He evidently tries to either call or write them, or both, every week. I was there once when he called. Mr. and Mrs. Giles talked to him for a little bit and then called the girls. You should have seen the smiles on all seven of their faces when they ran in to the room from where ever they had been. Even Cordy excused herself from our conversation to go talk to him. They put him on their speakerphone and talked to him for a good twenty minutes. They filled him in on all of the happenings in their lives and he told them what he could about what he had been up to. He had ended the call by telling them it would be a while before he could call again as he was going on a covert mission. After they hung up all of the girls sat there worrying about his safety. They did seem proud of him, though." said Graham.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I was there once as well. I think they all love him like a big brother. He definitely seems to love them all like sisters. You can hear it in his voice. Even Tara, whom he has never met in person. I think that it is just part of his nature. From hearing Giles or Buffy talk about him when he was part of their Scooby gang in high school, I definitely got the impression that he is extremely loyal to those that he loves. He evidently was always putting himself in harms way to help, or save, the girls when they were fighting vampires or demons. According to Willow he was always that way when they were growing up. He and Willow have known each other since they were in diapers. She told me that he used to rescue her from bullies by refocusing their actions towards himself." said Riley.

"Wow! I'd love to meet this guy some day. He sounds like someone I'd like to have watching my back in a firefight." said Forrest.

Both Riley and Graham had to agree with Forrest on that one.

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Summers-Giles' Residence

Sunnydale, CA

December 25, 2000

The phone rang while everyone was sitting in the living room opening their presents. Giles got up and answered it. He then turned around with a smile on his face.

"Girls, its Xander." said Giles. He then put the phone on speaker.

Giles and Joyce smiled when they saw the faces of their girls' light up with huge smiles. They had taken to thinking of Buffy, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, Dawn, Faith and Amy all as their daughters. They knew how special these calls, and letters, were to the girls. The girls all loved Xander like a big brother. Joyce and Giles were happy to hear from him as well. They thought of him like a son.

"Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't make it home for the holidays. I had so looked forward to it, but as I told you in my last letter, we are shipping out tomorrow on another covert operation. We probably won't be back until after the New Year. So I'll wish everyone a Happy New Year now as well." said Xander.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well, Xander. We were all saddened to hear that you couldn't make it home for the holidays." said Joyce.

"Thank you. Did my packages arrive?" asked Xander.

"Yes they did. In fact you caught us in the middle of opening presents." replied Giles.

"Cool. Did everyone like what I got them?" asked Xander.

He had bought presents for everyone, and had them shipped to Sunnydale. He got Giles a first edition copy of Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol'. He had found it in an old used bookstore near the base. It was actually in great condition. He got Joyce and all of the girls gift cheques to various stores. For Joyce, he got her one to Macys. For Buffy and Cordelia he got them ones to Sacks 5th Avenue. For Dawn and Faith he got them ones to Tower Records. For Willow, Tara and Amy he got ones to a local magic shop in Sunnydale. He had called the store and they had made up three of them for him. They did this for him after he had told the gentleman who owned the place whom they were for. The older man knew and liked the three young witches. Giles had picked them up for him. He had also sent each of the girls a wallet size picture of himself in dress uniform. He had sent a larger framed one to Joyce and Giles. They had asked him for one after they had sent him a group photo about a month ago.

Everyone told him that they loved the presents from him. Then, at Xander's request, Giles read the opening pages of 'A Christmas Carol' for him. He had wanted to hear Giles read it in his rich baritone voice. After that Xander wished everyone happy holidays and hung up. Giles then continued reading the story to his family. They all sat there and happily listened to it.

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Summers-Giles House

Sunnydale, CA

January 19, 2001

"Buffy, there's a package here for you." said Joyce.

She then carried it into the living room where all of the girls were sitting and talking. She handed the long box over to Buffy. Buffy gasped when she opened it up. Inside were a dozen long stemmed roses. There was also a note attached to them. She picked it up and read it. It read:

_Happy Birthday Buffy!_

_I wish I could have been there to see the look on your face when you saw what was in the box, but I guess I'll just have to imagine what it looked like. I wanted to send you something special for your birthday and I thought a dozen roses would be just the thing. I hope you have a great birthday and I hope it is just the beginning of a great year for you._

_Love,_

_Xander_

All of the girls were smiling at this. There were quite a few tears as well. Joyce just leaned against Giles and smiled at her daughter. She was happy that her daughters had such a loving friend.

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Lowell House

Sunnydale, CA

July 24, 2001

Graham found Riley and Forrest sitting in the common room.

"I just can't win against this guy." griped Graham.

"Let me guess. Xander?" asked Forrest.

"Yep." said Graham.

"What'd he do this time?" asked Forrest.

"Let me guess. He sent Cordy a dozen long stem roses for her birthday yesterday. Right?" asked Riley.

"You got it. How'd you know?" asked Graham.

"He did the same with Buffy, and all of the other girls that have had birthdays so far this year." replied Riley.

"Wow! A dozen long stemmed roses for each of them?" asked Forrest.

"Yep. The man does have class. You have to admit that." said Riley.

"Any idea when he's coming back to town? I have got to meet this guy!" said Forrest.

"No idea." said Graham.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

December 22, 2001

Sergeant First Class Xander Harris was whistling while he packed his bag. He was dressed in his regular everyday uniform. He filled it out rather nicely if he did say so himself. In the last two and a half years he had gotten into great shape. He now had a fit, muscular body.

He was happy. For the first time in two and a half years he was finally going home. He had a two-week leave, barring any missions, and he had decided to go home for it. He couldn't wait to see the girls. His girls, or so he tended to think of them as such.

There were some other soldiers in the barracks. A few of them were watching him pack.

"Hey Sarge, happy to be heading home?"

"Yep. It's been two and a half years since I've been there."

"So, you're going to see the harem, are ya?"

"Ha ha. Yeah, I'm going to see the girls. In fact their 'parents' are going to put me up in a guestroom for the duration of my stay. I talked to them a couple of weeks ago and they offered it. Also, they didn't tell the girls I'm coming home for the holidays. It's going to be a surprise."

"Cool. You'll have to let us know how it worked out."

"No problem. Well, I'm packed. Hey Aaron, I'm ready to go."

"Ok. The Jeep's outside."

One of his friends was giving him a ride to the airport.

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Sunnydale Airport

Sunnydale, CA

December 22, 2001

Xander grabbed his bag and got off of the plane with the rest of the passengers. When he got to the gate he looked around for Joyce and Giles. They were picking him up. He finally spotted them standing off to the side. He walked over to them.

"Xander! It's so good to see you." said Joyce.

She grabbed him up in a hug. Giles also gave him a hug.

"You look good in that uniform, Xander. I see that the army has done you a lot of good." said Giles.

"Yes it has. I love it." said Xander.

They walked out to the parking area and got into the car. They then headed for home. On the way home they were talking about different things.

"Xander, we were wondering something. If you don't want to talk about it, please let us know. Are you in love with one of the girls? I know you think of them as sisters, but we were wondering if it wasn't more than that with at least one of them." asked Giles.

"That's ok, Giles. I'll answer that. I think that I might be. It's a dilemma though. You see, I think I'm in love with both Cordy and Buffy. Remember that I used to date Cordy in high school. Well, I don't think I ever really got over her. Also, I have basically been in love with Buffy since I first met her. I also know that both of them are currently in relationships. You see my dilemma?" said Xander.

"Yes I do. I'm not sure what to tell you either. Other than try not to break their hearts." said Giles.

"I'll try not to. Really, I just want them to be happy. If it's not with me, then so be it. Their happiness is more important to me. Just don't say anything to them, ok?" said Xander.

"We won't." said Joyce.

"Thanks." said Xander.

Giles and Joyce smiled at each other when they saw Xander wouldn't see. They had figured out that he was in love with one or more of them. They were proud of him for how he was handling it. Sure they'd love to see him with one of their 'daughters', but they weren't going to involve themselves in it at this time.

Xander just sat back in the seat and sighed to himself. He knew that this might come up. 'Oh well.' he thought to himself. He had already promised himself that he wouldn't break up any relationships if he could help it. In his heart, he really just wanted his girls to be happy. If they were happy with other guys, then so be it. He could live with that. Of course, he knew that four of them were actually happy with other girls. This did not bother him in the slightest. If Willow and Tara, and Faith and Amy were happy together, then he was happy for them.

A few minutes later they pulled up to the house. They walked inside and Joyce showed Xander to the guestroom that he would be using. He was impressed with the addition they had done to the house. Joyce pointed out to him whose room was whose. After this the three of them sat in the living room and talked for a while. They had a few hours before any of the girls would be home. Joyce and Giles assured him that none of the girls knew he was coming home. He had wanted to surprise them.

"Did my packages arrive?" asked Xander.

"Yes they did. We have them hidden in the basement." replied Joyce.

"Thanks." said Xander.

He had finished his holiday shopping before leaving North Carolina and had had it all shipped here. He had told Giles and Joyce that it was coming and asked them to hide it for him.

A few hours later Xander left the house. He had decided to catch up with the girls on campus. From talking with them he knew that they usually hung out in the student union building, or on a nice day outside it, for a couple of hours after classes. Giles told him that they should all be there now. Xander figured that they would be out on the lawn since it was nice out. He also knew that Dawn would be getting out in a few minutes. So he figured that he would stop by the middle school first and meet up with her. Then they both could go over to the college.

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Sunnydale Middle School

Sunnydale, CA

December 22, 2001

Xander was still dressed in his uniform. He stood outside of the school waiting for one particular eight grader. He had a note from Joyce in case there were any questions from a school official. He got quite a few stares from parents, teachers and students while he was standing there.

Suddenly he heard his name screamed in an excited voice. He looked over to the doors and saw Dawn running towards him. The friends that she had been walking with were standing there with confused looks on their faces.

When she got to him she jumped into his arms. He wrapped his strong arms around her, picked her up and gave her a hug. He then put her down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Hey Dawnie! Surprise!"

"Xander! I didn't know you were coming home. When did you get here?"

"I just got here about three hours ago. You're parents picked me up at the airport. I asked them not to say anything to any of you. I wanted it to be a surprise. I'm going to be here for a couple of weeks. You're parents are putting me up in the guestroom."

Dawn's friends had come over to see what was up, as well as a teacher. Xander showed the note to the teacher and she walked away.

"Hey guys, this is Xander. He's a friend, and kind of like a big brother. He's been gone for a while." explained Dawn to her friends.

Xander said hi to the girls. They smiled shyly back at him.

"Dawn, we need to get going if we're going to catch your sister and the other girls at the college."

"Ok."

They walked away from the school towards the college. They were chatting the whole way and Dawn was holding Xander's hand tightly. It was like she was afraid that if she let go he would disappear.

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UC Sunnydale

Sunnydale, CA

December 22, 2001

They got to the campus and Dawn showed Xander where the girls usually hung out. He saw them all in the distance sitting on the ground by a huge tree. They started walking towards them. He was aware of the admiring, and lusty, stares he was getting from the various coeds that were near them. He knew he struck a handsome figure in his uniform. He just smiled and kept walking. The ones he was interested in were ahead of them.

Amy happened to look up from the conversation that was going on between the girls and spotted Dawn walking towards them in the distance. Due to the sun she couldn't tell who was with her.

"Hey guys, Dawn's coming this way. I can't see who is with her though, because the sun is in my eyes." said Amy.

They all looked in the direction that Amy was pointing to. None of them could make the person out at that distance. As they got closer, though, they all started to recognize whom it was.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S XANDER!" shouted Buffy.

All of the girls shot up at that statement and ran towards him and Dawn. Dawn saw them coming and stepped out of their way. She just stood there smiling at their reaction to seeing Xander. It was basically the same as hers had been.

Xander smiled when he saw them running at him. He had heard Buffy's exclamation as well. He just stopped and stood at ease. The first one to him turned out to be his oldest friend, Willow. She launched herself into his arms. He grabbed her and twirled her around. He then put her down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He then basically went through the same thing with each of the other girls. They then dragged him back to where they were sitting. There were a lot of people around that had stopped to watch this spectacle. They walked on when the girls dragged him away.

"When did you get here?" asked Buffy.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming home?" asked Willow.

"Where are you staying?" asked Cordy.

"Whoa girls, one question at a time! I just got into town about three and a half hours ago. Joyce and Giles picked me up at the airport. They knew I was coming home. I asked them to keep it a secret, as I wanted to surprise you guys. Looks like I did just that. As for where I am staying, Joyce and Giles are putting me up in the guestroom." said Xander.

They sat there for quite awhile just talking. It was kind of like their weekly call, just in person.

Forrest, Graham and Riley were leaving the library and walking back to Lowell house. They had to walk past the student union building.

"Hey guys, whose that with your girls?" asked Forrest.

He pointed out the girls sitting on the lawn and the guy in uniform sitting with them. Buffy was sitting on one side of him and Cordy was on the other. The rest of the girls were in a semi-circle in front of them. Even Dawn was there.

"I don't know. I don't think I've seen him before. It looks like the guy's a Sergeant First Class in the Army. Wait a minute; I think I see a Green Beret insignia and Delta Force insignia on his uniform. Could that be Xander?" asked Riley.

"I think you may be right. It kind of looks like the picture that they have on the mantle piece in their living room." said Graham.

"They didn't tell you he was coming home?" asked Forrest.

"Nope. I bet he surprised them. I know that Buffy had commented that it didn't look like he would be home for the holidays again this year. I'm guessing that he kept it a secret from the girls." said Riley.

"Like I said before, I like his style. Let's go over and meet him." said Forrest.

Riley and Graham agreed and they walked over in that direction.

Xander and the girls just sat there talking when three guys walked up to them. Xander had noticed them standing a few feet away and looking at them. He was wondering who they were. He was thinking that maybe two of them were Riley Finn and Graham Miller. He knew their general descriptions from conversations with the girls. His guess was that the black guy must be Forrest Gates. The girls had mentioned him as well. Xander looked up at them when they had approached. This alerted the girls to the fact that someone had walked up to them.

"Hello? Can I help you gentlemen?" asked Xander.

"Xander, let me introduce you to Riley Finn, Graham Miller and Forrest Gates." said Buffy.

"Good to meet you all. I've heard about you guys from the girls here. My name's Xander Harris. I'm an old friend of theirs." said Xander.

"Yes, we know who you are. Good to finally meet you. We've heard all about you from the girls." said Riley.

They sat down and talked with them for a while. Before long though Buffy mentioned that they had to get going, or her parents were going to wonder where they were. They all got up to leave.

"Girls, give me a second. I just want to talk to these gentlemen a moment." said Xander.

He then led the three men a little bit away, far enough away that the girls shouldn't overhear them.

"Gentlemen, I know that you're all black ops soldiers. From which branch of the military, I do not know. In any case, you are bound by your honor as soldiers and gentlemen, as am I. I just want to tell you guys that if you ever hurt any of those girls in any way, you will have to answer to me. This is not a threat, it is fact." said Xander.

"Sergeant Harris, I know how important you are to these girls. For that reason, and your ignorance of our ranks, I will not bring any charges against you for talking that way to a superior officer. As for ever hurting these girls, let me assure you that is the farthest thing from any of our minds. As you said, we are all bound by our honor as soldiers and gentlemen." replied Riley.

"Very good Sir, as long as we understand each other. These seven girls are very important to me. They are the sisters I never had. I love all of them as such. Have a good day Sirs." said Xander and walked away. He did not salute, as that would compromise their situation.

"Man, threatening us. Like I said, I like this guy." said Forrest. He was smiling.

"He wasn't threatening. He was promising. Take a look at him. He probably could have a chance against any of us in a one-on-one fight. Remember that he's in Delta Force. They don't take guys who can't handle themselves." said Riley.

Graham just shook his head. They then walked back to their house.

Xander walked back to where the girls were standing.

"What did you say to them?" asked Cordy.

"Just making sure that we understood each other. That's all." said Xander. He was smiling.

The girls still looked confused, but didn't press him on the issue. They just walked on home.

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The Bronze

Sunnydale, CA

December 22, 2001

They had all gone out for dinner to celebrate Xander's temporary homecoming. Afterwards the girls had dragged him to the Bronze. They had insisted he stay in uniform. All of them, at different times, had told him how good he looked in uniform.

While at The Bronze he danced with each of the girls. He got a lot of looks from the other people there. The guys seemed to be jealous of him due to the multiple girls that he was with and the girls were giving him admiring, and lustful, looks. Xander just smiled and kept his attention on his girls. He chuckled softly to himself though, guessing that this is why they wanted him to stay in uniform. They wanted to make the other dancers jealous. He didn't mind, as he would do almost anything for his girls.

He was currently dancing with Cordy. They were grooving along to the music. All of the girls were impressed with his dance moves. He had finally learned how to dance properly from a buddy in the army. When the set finished they headed back to table.

"Excuse me a moment girls. I'll be right back." said Xander.

They saw him follow a couple out of the club.

"I'm going to go see what he's up to." said Buffy.

"I'm coming too. I sense a vamp somewhere around here." said Faith.

The two of them followed Xander out. They got out there just in time to see him pull the girl away from the guy and put her behind him. She stumbled, but Faith caught her. Xander then started wailing on the guy, who now had his game face on and was obviously a vamp. He was really putting a world of pain on the vamp. Then all of the sudden he let the vamp go. The vamp took that opportunity to run for it. Just as he was about to turn a corner Xander pulled out something and threw it at the vamp. As soon as it hit it, the vamp turned to dust. He then turned around and walked back to the girls.

"Are you ok Mamm?" asked Xander.

"Yes. Thank you for saving me." said the girl.

"No problem Mamm. Just be careful of whom you leave with in the future." said Xander.

They then walked back into the club. The girl went over to her friends and they went back to their friends.

"What happened?" asked Willow.

"Xander took out a vamp and saved that girl." said Buffy. She sounded a little shocked.

"You took out a vamp? By yourself?" asked Cordy, in awe.

"Yes I did. No big deal. They're just a little more difficult then some of the people I have dealt with while in the army." replied Xander.

"What did you throw at it?" asked Faith.

"A wooden knife. I created a few of them. I always carry at least one of them on me. They've come in handy in the past. Like I said no big." said Xander.

"No Xander. Way big." said Buffy. She smiled at him.

The rest of the girls were also looking a little prouder to know him. He just sat there and basked in the warmth he felt from each of them.

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Summers-Giles house

Sunnydale, CA

December 25, 2001

The whole 'family' was sitting in the living room after a late breakfast. They were opening presents. Xander handed out all of the presents that he had bought for them. Everyone liked what he had given him or her. He had liked what they had each gotten for him.

After the presents were all opened, Giles picked up his copy of 'A Christmas Carol'. He opened it and started reading the story. Everyone sat back and listened to him tell the tale of Ebeneazor Scrooge.

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Summers-Giles house

Sunnydale, CA

December 31, 2001

It was New Years Eve and the Giles's were having a party. They had invited some friends and neighbors over for it. They had a nice spread and a lot of different types of drinks. They also had a few bottles of champagne that they were going to open right before midnight.

Among the guests were Riley, Graham and Forrest. Riley and Graham were talking and dancing with Buffy and Cordy. Forrest on the other hand was sitting on the couch talking with Xander. Xander had gotten to know the three commandos over the last several days and liked them. They were good men. He finally found out their ranks and what branch they were originally from.

Right now they were trading 'war stories'.

"I'm telling you, this HST was big and ugly. Luckily it was also stupid. We ended up having to zap it five times before it dropped." said Forrest.

"I believe it. I remember some of those ones. These days I don't see many, other than the occasional vamp. I try to do a patrol every few days in the town by the base, when I have a night off. These days my opponents are more of the human variety. Which, let me tell you, some of these humans are worse than any demon I've ever faced." said Xander.

"So, you like your job?"

"Yeah I do. Joining the Army was definitely the right choice for me. I wasn't going to be able to afford college, and my parents weren't going to pay for it. The only thing I had to look forward to here was a series of low paying, menial jobs. That's why I considered the military. I sat down with the recruiter and I liked what I heard. I only have one regret about joining, and that's that I had to move away from my girls."

"Your girls?"

"Sorry, I tend to think of them that way. I was an only child, and had a lousy home life. I like to think of these girls, and Joyce and Giles, as the family I never really had. I love those girls like they were my sisters."

"Well, I know they like you. I've seen how they've literally been hanging all over you since you've been back. I also have heard about how they react when you call here, from Riley and Graham."

"I know. Like I said, I love them like the sisters I never had. I'd do almost anything for them. That's why I approached you guys like I did when we first met. I didn't know you, and their safety and happiness is very important to me. I never did tell them what I said to you guys. Please don't tell them."

"No problem. I won't."

Just then Dawn came dancing over and pulled Xander up off the couch. He smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders at Forrest. Forrest just laughed. Xander started dancing with Dawn.

By midnight he had danced with all of the girls. Even Buffy and Cordy, even though their boyfriends were there. The two guys had told him that they didn't mind.

At midnight everyone clinked their glasses of champagne and shared a kiss with their mate. Xander gave Dawn a kiss on the top of the head as he hugged her and wished her a Happy New Year.

By two in the morning everyone had left and Xander and the girls helped clean up the place. That is, everyone except Dawn. She had fallen asleep a little after midnight. Xander had carried her up stairs and had put her to sleep in her bed.

"Ok, that's everything. Thanks for helping out. Goodnight girls, Xander." said Giles.

With that Giles and Joyce went up stairs to their room. The girls all started breaking off towards their rooms, as well. As each of the girls walked by they gave Xander a quick kiss and wished him a Happy New Year. Xander just smiled happily, and after the last one he headed for the guestroom.

He lay there on the bed thinking about the last few days. They had been the happiest that he had had in a while. Though he loved the Army, he loved being here with the girls even more. He knew they loved having him here. Just the kisses tonight were evidence enough. He did notice though, that while Willow, Tara, Faith and Amy kissed him on the cheek, Buffy and Cordy had kissed him on the lips. He wasn't sure what to make of that.

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Sunnydale Airport

Sunnydale, CA

January 5, 2002

Xander was sitting back in his seat on the plane and smiling. He was smiling because he was thinking about his two-week leave with the girls, and Joyce and Giles. He had had a great time. He was actually a little sad to be heading back to his base.

Everyone had come to the airport to see him off. Before he got on the plane he had shook hands with Giles and had gotten a hug and a kiss from Joyce and each of the girls. He told them that he loved them all and he would call them, or write them soon.

He closed his eyes and fell off to sleep with a smile on his face.

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Summers-Giles house

Sunnydale, CA

March 15, 2002

It's been a couple of months since Xander had visited for the holidays. It was around ten at night and Cordy and Buffy were sitting in Buffy's room talking.

"What are we going to do, Buffy?" asked Cordy.

"I don't know Cordy. I just don't know. As much as I love Riley, I think I love Xander more."

"I know. I'm in the same boat. I think I love Xander more than I love Graham. I love you as a friend and I don't want to get in your way either."

"I feel the same way. I value our friendship too much to get in your way. That's the problem. We've both realized that we've fallen for the same guy. I wish I knew what to do. Maybe we can talk to the others tomorrow. See what they think."

"Yeah, maybe so. I'm sure they've probably realized what's happened. I know that at least Willow and Tara are pretty observant to these types of things. Hell, they realized that Faith and Amy liked each other before they did."

They said goodnight to each other and Cordy headed for her room.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

May 2, 2002

Xander was sitting at his desk talking on the phone. It was after hours and he was allowed a few personal calls a week. This was one of them. Ever since he had gotten to know the three commandos, they had talked regularly. They had struck up a friendship over that two-week leave that he had had back in December and January.

This call was a confusing one though. He had talked to the girls yesterday and sensed that something was up, but they never told him anything. Now he's sensing that Riley and Graham want to say something, but they haven't yet. They've just been talking about regular stuff.

"Ok guys, what's going on out there? I was talking to the girls yesterday and I got the feeling that something had happened, but they never said anything. Now I'm getting the same feeling from you guys. What's going on?" asked Xander.

"You're right, something did happen. It happened about two days ago. Both Cordy and Buffy broke up with Graham and myself." said Riley.

"What? Why did they do that? I thought you guys were happy together?" asked Xander, surprised.

"I thought so too. It seems that both of them are in love with someone else. They told us that they loved us, but they were more in love with someone else and they didn't think that it was fair to us to keep on dating. I was not too surprised though. I had sensed that a change was coming." explained Riley.

"Did they tell you who?" asked Xander.

"No they did not. I think I know though. And I'm not sure how it's going to work out." said Riley.

"What do you mean?" asked Xander.

"Xander, I think it's you that they're both in love with. I want you to understand that neither Graham nor I hold this against you. We know you well enough now to know that you wouldn't have deliberately gotten in the way of our relationships." said Riley.

Graham agreed with what Riley had said.

"Wow. I didn't realize that they loved me like that. I know Cordy and I used to date back in high school, but we broke up before we graduated. As for Buffy, we never went out or anything. Truthfully, I have been in love with Buffy since I first met her in high school, and I never really got over Cordy. But I never would have broken up your relationships. Their happiness was more important to me then getting together with them. I guess I'm still a little clueless when it comes to women." said Xander.

Everyone chuckled a little at that.

"We know you wouldn't have. What are you going to do about it?" asked Graham.

"I don't know. It would make it kind of hard to have a relationship with either of them with them on the West Coast and me on the East Coast. Also, I wouldn't want to hurt one of them by starting a relationship with the other one. They both mean too much to me to do that." replied Xander.

"Well, I would try to figure it out soon. They're great gals and I wouldn't want you to miss your chance with one of them." said Graham.

"Heck, why don't you get together with both of them. Live out every man's dream." said Forrest.

They all laughed at that comment.

"Alright, I'll think about it. In any case I have to go. Talk to you soon." said Xander.

"Ok. Talk to you soon." said Riley.

They both hung up.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

May 10, 2002

Xander sat there at his desk on the phone. He was talking with Giles and Joyce about his problem.

"Remember what you asked me when you picked me up from the airport back in December?" asked Xander.

"Yes. We asked you if you were interested in one of the girls in a romantic way. Why do you ask?" asked Giles.

"You remember that I told you that I kind of was with Buffy and Cordy?" asked Xander.

"Yes, we do. I'm guessing I know where this is going, but please continue." said Joyce.

"Well, in a call I had about a week ago with Riley, Graham and Forrest, they told me that Buffy and Cordy broke up with them. They had evidently told the guys that they were in love with someone else. They didn't tell them whom. Riley and Graham think that it may be me. Neither of the girls has said a word to me about it, at all. I didn't even know they had broken up with Riley and Graham until I heard it from them." said Xander.

"Ah. So I guess you're wondering, first is it you that they are in love with, and second what to do about it if it is you. Right?" asked Giles.

"You got it. What do you think I should do?" asked Xander.

"Well, as for the first item, I think they are probably right. We don't know for sure, but there have been some hints. Think about when we saw you off at the airport. All of the girls gave you a kiss on the cheek, except Buffy and Cordelia. They kissed you on the lips. They also tend to talk about you a little more than the other girls." said Giles.

"Ok, so what should I do about it? I'd love to get into a relationship with one of them, but I don't want to hurt the other one. Also, I have to consider that I'm based on the East Coast and you guys are on the West Coast." said Xander.

"I'm not sure what to tell you Xander. Whatever you do you might end up hurting one of them. As much as I don't want to see either of them hurt, it may happen. As for the distance, I don't know. You're going to have to give it a lot of thought before you start something." said Giles.

"I know. Thanks for listening to me, though. I'll think about it. Don't say anything to them, please." said Xander.

"We won't, unless they bring it up." said Joyce.

"Thanks. Goodbye." said Xander.

"Goodbye and take care." said Joyce.

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Summers-Giles house

Sunnydale, CA

May 10, 2002

"Poor boy. I wish I knew what to tell him. The problem is that we'd end up in the middle." said Joyce.

"I know. Truthfully though, I can't think of a better man for either of them." said Giles.

"I know. He'd be perfect for either of them." said Joyce.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

June 20, 2002

Master Sgt. Xander Harris was taking his men through some exercises when a Corporal walked up to him. The Corporal stood at attention and saluted him. He saluted back.

"Yes, Corporal Jamison?" asked Xander.

"Colonel Green wants to see you in his office immediately, Sir."

"Very good. Tell the Colonel I'll be right there."

He then turned back to his men and signaled for one of them to step forward.

"Sgt. Franklin, you're in charge. Continue the exercises."

Xander then turned and walked to the Delta Force commander's office. When he got there he was told to go right in. He walked in and found his lieutenant, Lt. Davis and Captain Rogers in there as well. They were talking to someone on the phone. Xander came to attention and saluted the Colonel. The Colonel returned the salute.

"Sit down Sgt." said the Colonel.

Xander took a seat around the small table in the office. He nodded to the Captain and Lieutenant.

"Alright Captain Finn, Sgt. Harris is here. Please tell him what you have told us." said the Colonel.

"Hello Xander." said Riley.

"Hi Riley. What's up?" asked Xander.

"We have a problem and our oversight put us in touch with Colonel Green here to get some help. As you already know, I run the military aspect of The Initiative. What you don't know is that a civilian researcher by the name of Prof. Maggie Walsh heads up the whole thing. Or I should say used to head it up. She had been working on a top-secret project of her own called Project 314. It was the creation of a human/demon/cyborg hybrid soldier she called Adam. Adam came on line on Tuesday, from what we can tell and promptly killed Prof. Walsh. He has since killed at least one little boy in the town and one more researcher in the Initiative. At this time we do not know how to kill him. Regular bullets seem to do no good." said Riley.

"What's the status of the Initiative itself?" asked Xander.

"Anyone who was in the complex as of 0900 this morning is trapped. Adam has taken over it. Luckily most of my men were upstairs in Lowell House at the time." said Riley.

"Have you talked to Giles about Adam?" asked Xander.

"Yes I have. Also, I was able to get some data on diskette that Willow is looking through." said Riley.

"Who is this Giles and Willow?" asked Colonel Green.

"Riley, have you explained to these officers what the Initiative is?" asked Xander.

"Yes I have." said Riley.

"Ok. Colonel, Mr. Giles is an occult and demonology expert located in Sunnydale. As for Willow, she is a computer expert and a genius. If anyone can decipher the computer disks it will be her. They are both civilians, but they can be trusted. I know both of them very well. I grew up with Willow, and Mr. Giles has been like a father to me for the last six years. I would trust either of them with my life. They are both part of a group of civilians that keep Sunnydale, and the surrounding area, safe from the creatures of the night. I used to belong to this group when I lived in Sunnydale. I'm telling you this, because if it is as bad as Captain Finn is saying I think we will need their help. They have the experience in fighting demons, not our men." explained Xander.

"Alright Sgt., I'll take your word for it. Captain Finn, you have our help. Captain Rogers, prepare the men to go to Sunnydale. We will have a general briefing in 2 hours. Sgt. Harris, you will assist in the briefing. Please continue talking to Captain Finn and find out what we will be facing. Dismissed." said Colonel Green.

Xander had the call transferred to his desk and sat down and got the information from Riley. He then called Giles, with the Colonel's permission and explained the situation to him. Giles told him that he and the girls would help out in any way they could. He told Giles he would call back when he knew their travel plans.

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Sunnydale Motor Lodge

Sunnydale, CA

June 21, 2002

Delta Force was staying at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. They were also dressed in civies. That was because they did not want to cause a scare by showing a military presence during this operation.

Xander had all of the men, except the officers, in his room for a quick briefing.

"Alright, you are to stay here at the motor lodge until you receive word from me. At that time you will come to the university. Sgt. Franklin has directions on where to go. Mr. Giles, one of the civilian experts that we have brought in for this mission teaches at the university and has arranged for the use of one of the lecture hall for us. Speaking of the civilian experts, I will tell you about them now. Other than Mr. Giles the others are six young women. They are around my age. Do not be fooled by their looks, they have a lot of experience in fighting these creatures. They have been doing it as a whole for six years now. Also, I will brook no disrespect to them. This includes any snide remarks. They have volunteered their time to help us and you will treat them as the experts they are. Once we go in, if they tell you to do something, do it without question. Do any of you have any questions?" asked Xander.

No one answered.

"Very good. I'm heading over there now with the officers." said Xander.

Xander walked out and got into the car with Colonel Green, Captain Rogers and Lieutenant Davis. They drove to the university. Xander gave the Captain directions. When they got there they parked the car and walked into the building. They found the lecture hall and walked in. The Initiative soldiers and Giles and the girls were already there. Xander had asked Giles to ask the girls not to jump all over him in front of his superiors and men. He was glad that they were following his wishes.

Riley walked forward with Forrest and Graham.

"Colonel Green, I'm Captain Finn. This is Lt. Gates and Master Sgt. Miller." said Riley.

"Good to meet you captain. I'm Colonel Green and these are Captain Rogers, Lt. Davis and Master Sgt. Harris." said Colonel Green.

"Colonel, let me introduce you to Mr. Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers, Cordelia Chase, Faith Pryce, Amy Madison, Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay." said Xander.

Neither Joyce nor Dawn was here. They knew he was in town, but they were not part of the group that fought.

"Alright, Captain Finn, it's your mission." said Colonel Green.

They got down to planning out what they would do. Willow and Giles went over with the group what they had discovered. They finally made the decision, after much discussion, to go with Giles and Willow's plan to take out Adam. Giles, Willow, Amy and Tara were going to do a spell to empower Buffy with all of the power of the Slayer line. This should be enough to take out Adam. They had finally found his weak spot. This would not effect Faith, though, as she had become a Slayer after Buffy.

Two soldiers from Delta Force would stand guard over Giles and the witches while they did the spell. After that Buffy would go off to face Adam, while Faith, Cordy, Delta Force and the Commandos would take out any demons that they found. They would also secure the base and tend to any wounded and rescue any captives.

Xander had learned that Cordy had been taking some martial arts training in a nearby town and getting some additional training from Giles in fighting. She wanted to be able to help out more. The three witches were also getting some training in fighting. He was proud of them for taking this upon themselves.

At this time Xander called Sgt. Franklin at the motor lodge and ordered him to bring the men to the college. They arrived about fifteen minutes later. The officers and others went over the plans with the soldiers of Delta Force and the Commandos. They answered all of the soldiers' questions as best as they could. The witches even did a little example of their powers. All three of them had really advanced in their powers since high school. They were training under the careful eye of Giles. Xander was glad for that.

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Sunnydale Forest

Sunnydale, CA

June 22, 2002

Xander was leading his troops through the forest entrance into the Initiative. They were attacked immediately by demons. They fought back with swords and knives. All of the soldiers were trained in blade weapons.

Xander knew that they had to get down to the lower levels and free the captives. This is where they expected them to be.

In another part of the base Giles, the witches and Buffy had found a somewhat safe spot to do their spell. Buff continued on to where they expected Adam to be while Giles and the girls setup. When they were ready they cast their spell. Two of Xander's men watched over them in case any demons came in.

In yet another area the Commandos, led by Riley, and Faith and Cordy were clearing out the main level of demons. There were quite a few of them. They had their hands full with them.

About three hours later the mission was over. They had successfully dispatched of all of the demons, including Adam, and rescued the captives. Riley took command of the Initiative and placed a call to oversight. Riley and Colonel Green spoke with the man for about twenty minutes. They then came out of the office.

"We are to shut the place down. All personnel will be contacted individually for reassignment with the next day or two. You are to leave all Initiative equipment and data here. Colonel Green, I thank you and your men for your help." said Riley.

Everyone left their things behind and left the base.

Over the next few days agents from oversight would be clearing out the base and filling it in with concrete.

Delta Force would be heading home the next day. Xander had arranged with the officers to give the men the night off after debriefing. During debriefing he warned the men about the creatures that roamed the town. As for himself he headed to the Giles household.

When he got there he knocked on the door. Joyce opened it. When she saw who it was she gave him a hug. She then let him past. He found everyone in the living room. Dawn jumped at him and he gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. He then sat down on the couch with Buffy and Cordy. They talked for several hours.

A couple hours later Buffy and Cordy asked him to come with them. They wanted to talk to him in private about something. They led him up to Buffy's room. They closed the door behind them.

"What's up girls?" asked Xander.

"We needed to ask you something. You do know that we both broke up with our boyfriends, right?" asked Buffy.

"Yes I did. They told me. How come you didn't?" asked Xander.

"We don't know. We just didn't." said Cordy.

"So, what did you want to know?" asked Xander.

"How do you feel about us?" asked Cordy.

"What do you mean? I love you girls, you know that." said Xander.

"We know you love us like sisters, but what about more than that?" asked Buffy.

"More? You want to know if I am in love with you, right?" asked Xander.

"Yes." said Cordy.

Both of them looked nervous about his answer. Xander noticed this. He was a little nervous as well.

"Yes. I am in love with both of you. I never really got over you Cordy. And you Buffy, well I have been in love with you since the day I met you." admitted Xander.

He then sat there and waited to see what would happen due to his confession. Buffy and Cordy looked at each other and let out happy sighs. They smiled at each other.

"We were hoping you would say that. The truth of the matter is that we both are in love with you. Buffy finally realized that she loves you and I never really got over our relationship in high school either. That is why we broke up with Riley and Graham. It just wasn't fair to those guys that we were really more in love with you than with them." said Cordy.

"At first we didn't know what to do about it. We really value our friendship and didn't want to strain it by one of us giving way to the other. But then we discussed a possible solution. We wanted to know what you thought of it. Would you like to date both of us at the same time?" asked Buffy.

Xander just looked at the two of them. He was stunned. It was a dream come true.

Instead of verbally answering the two hopeful looking girls, he simply grabbed both of them and pulled them to him. He first turned his head to Buffy and kissed her passionately for a moment. And then he turned his head to Cordy and kissed her just as passionately. He then just held both of them tight to himself as they rested their heads against his chest.

"I love you both. I've wanted to date both of you for so long. I never imagined at the same time, though. We have to consider the fact that I'm stationed on the East Coast and you two live on the West Coast, though." said Xander.

"We know. We think we can make this work, though." said Cordy.

"Ok. I'm willing to try it if you to are." said Xander.

They both smiled lovingly at him and just hugged him between them even more.

"Do the others know about this?" asked Xander.

"The other girls do. I think Mom and Dad may suspect it though." said Buffy.

"Ok. Well we should probably head back down stairs. I have to go soon anyway. Unfortunately I ship back tomorrow. I'll try to get back here more often, though. Maybe you girls could come visit me sometimes, as well. I'd have to let you know when I'd be free, though." said Xander.

They said they'd try. Unlike Xander, they weren't working. They were still in college. They walked back down stairs. When they walked into the living room the two girls were each holding one of his hands. Everyone saw this and smiled at them. Even Giles and Joyce.

They sat there and talked for a while longer. They even talked about the new relationship that had sprung up. Then it was time for Xander to leave. He got a kiss on the cheek from Willow, Tara, Amy, Faith, Dawn and Joyce. He shook hands with Giles and kissed Buffy and Cordy passionately. He then walked out to his rental car and drove back to the motor lodge.

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Fort Bragg

North Carolina

August 1, 2002

It was a little over a month since the mission to Sunnydale. Xander still continued his weekly calls and letters to all of the girls, but now he also talked to Buffy and Cordy more often. He had given them his cell phone number and sometimes they would call him. They knew when he got off shift for the day and they would call him after that. If their call went to voice mail they knew to just leave a message and he would call them back. There were times when he had to work late and couldn't answer the phone.

He had also managed to make it back to Sunnydale about two weeks ago for Cordy's birthday. He had taken both of them out to celebrate it. That night was also the first night that they had made love. The two girls had spent the night with him at the hotel he was staying in. They had spent the next night there with him as well. He had left the following day. Xander smiled when he thought of those two nights. Man, he really loved those two girls.

He was sitting at his desk doing some paper work when a shadow crossed in front of him. He looked up and saw Colonel Green standing there. He got up and came to attention. He saluted the Colonel. The Colonel returned the salute.

"What can I do for you Sir?"

"Please come with me. There are some people here that wish to speak with you."

Xander followed the Colonel into the briefing room. He found Riley, Forrest and Graham sitting in there.

"Riley, Forrest, Graham, what are you guys doing here?" asked Xander.

"We came to make you an offer, Xander. About four weeks ago I was contacted by the Pentagon about setting up a black ops group to fight the darkness. This wouldn't be like the Initiative. We wouldn't capture them and study them. We would simply eliminate the ones that pose a threat to humanity. The ones that just want to live out their lives peacefully would be allowed to do so. What we want to know is if you are interested in joining up with us? I will be in charge of this group and I plan to run it as two teams. I will command one of them with Graham as my second. Forrest will run the other one. If you are interested in joining us then your position would be as Forrest's second. Oh, by the way, the home base for both teams will be Fort Sunnydale. I thought you might like to know that." said Riley, smiling.

Forrest and Graham also smiled at the comment. They knew about the budding relationship that Xander had going with both Buffy and Cordy. They were happy for him, and them.

Colonel Green turned to Xander and said, "If this is what you wish to do, than I won't stop you. You're a good soldier and you'll be an asset to where ever you decide to go."

Xander sat there for a few minutes silently thinking about the offer. He then made up his mind.

"Gentlemen, I'll take you up on your offer. Thank you for what you said Colonel. It's been a pleasure serving under you, but this is something I think I was meant to do." said Xander.

"Welcome aboard First Sergeant Harris." said Riley. He reached over and shook Xander's hand.

"Uh, Riley, I'm a Master Sergeant." said Xander.

"Did I forget to tell you something? Congratulations, you've been promoted." said the Colonel. He was smiling.

"Thank you Sir." said Xander.

It was then for the first time that he took a good look at the three commandos' uniforms. They were all Marines, but he noticed something different.

"I see that I wasn't the only one that got promoted recently." said Xander.

"Yep. They promoted me to a Major, Forrest is now a Captain and Graham is a First Sergeant like you." said Riley.

The five of them sat there for a while longer, discussing the transition of Xander out of Delta Force and into the new Omega Force.

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Fort Sunnydale

Sunnydale, CA

August 15, 2002

It was two weeks later and Xander was now back in Sunnydale. He had spent the first week finishing up his work with Delta Force. He then moved out here and had spent the last week helping to organize Omega Force. As for living quarters, as a senior non-commissioned officer he was given private quarters on the base. The four of them had apartments next to each other. The rest of their men were in barracks a few feet away. They were nice apartments and Xander felt right at home in his.

This morning was the first meeting of the new Omega Force. They were holding this meeting in the large briefing room that was part of the office suite that they had been assigned. Both Riley and Forrest had private offices and Graham and Xander had large cubicles outside the offices. There was also a small conference room, the large briefing room, a library/research room and a file/storage room. On base they wore uniforms, but on mission they would not wear anything that tied them to the U.S. military. They were a black operation after all.

Four of the men that they had gotten for the Force were experienced researchers. Their primary job would be to research any demons they didn't know about. They would be assigned two to each team. The other men would also be expected to help with the research if they needed it.

The staff meeting wasn't until 1000 hours. First the four leaders had another meeting at 0900 hours. This was hopefully to gain some civilian allies in the fight. At Riley's request, Xander stayed hidden in his cube until after the civilians walked in. He sat there silently chuckling to himself. They wanted to surprise the civilians with his presence. You see, the civilians were Giles and the girls, and they didn't know that Xander had changed outfits.

"Thank you for coming Giles, and bringing the girls with you." said Riley.

"You're welcome. I see congratulations are in order on all three of your promotions." said Giles.

"Thank you. What you see before you right now are three of the four leaders of a new military unit called Omega Force. We've been created by the Pentagon to battle the darkness. We've also been authorized to work with civilian groups that are involved in the same fight. To this end I asked you people to come here to introduce us to you. We will be based here at Fort Sunnydale and be organized into two teams. Our charter allows for us to fight anywhere in the world. You see, we're a black operations group. We are not the Initiative tough. We will not be capturing and studying demons. We will simply be eliminating those that pose a threat to humanity." said Riley.

"Wow. Who's the fourth member of your leadership team?" asked Buffy.

"Well, the group will be organized into two teams. The teams will be primarily made up of former Initiative soldiers, as well as some Special Forces soldiers from all branches of the military. I will be the overall commander, as well as command Alpha Team. First Sgt. Miller will be my second in command of the team. Captain Gates will command Beta Team and his second in command should be coming in right about now." said Riley.

Just then Xander walked in to the room.

"Everyone, please meet my second in command, First Sgt. Xander Harris." said a smiling Forrest.

All the girls jumped up and surrounded him. Xander just stood there in his uniform, smiling.

"Why didn't you tell us you were transferring?" asked Buffy.

"I couldn't say anything about Omega Force until it was organized, and besides I wanted to surprise you all." said Xander.

Everyone took a seat and talked some more about the group. They also congratulated Xander on his promotion, as well.

At 1000 hours they all walked into the large briefing room. Giles and the girls all took a seat together, a little bit away from the soldiers. Riley and his group took their seats at the table in the front of the room.

"Welcome to the opening briefing of Omega Force. Thank you all for volunteering for this group. My name is Major Riley Finn. I am the commander of Omega Force. The Force will be organized into two teams. I will command Alpha Team with First Sgt. Graham Miller as my second in command. Captain Forrest Gates will command Beta Team with First Sgt. Xander Harris as his second in command. Captain Gates will also be my second in command of the entire Force. Now, I'll read out the names of the two teams. Please reorganize yourselves into two groups." said Riley.

He read out the names and the soldiers quickly reseated them selves into to two groups.

"Alright, the men on my left are Alpha Team and the men on my right are Beta Team. After this meeting we will split up into the two teams for separate Team meetings with your Team leaders. Right now I want to go over the Omega Force charter and mission with you." said Riley.

He spent the next thirty minutes going over it and answering questions. They also had a slide show of the various demons that the Initiative had studied. All of the men were given a booklet containing all of the information.

"Ok, now I want to introduce you to the people sitting over here. As I just told you we are authorized to contract with civilian experts if the need arises. These people are the local civilian experts. Do not be fooled by the young age of most of them. They have been fighting this fight for seven years now. First Sgt. Harris was a member of this group a few years ago and vouches for their expertise. Captain Gates, First Sgt. Miller and I have also worked with them on occasion and can vouch for their expertise as well. The gentleman is Mr. Rupert Giles. He is a professor of History and Mythology at UC Sunnydale. He is also a Watcher, fighter and mage." said Riley.

They had discussed this earlier and they had agreed to let Riley tell the men about them. He described to his men what a Watcher and Slayer was.

"Miss Buffy Summers and Miss Faith Pryce are both Slayers. Miss Cordelia Chase is a warrior. She does not have any special abilities like the Slayers, but she has martial arts and other training and has been fighting for seven years. Miss Amy Madison, Miss Tara Maclay and Miss Willow Rosenberg are fighters and witches. They have had similar training to Miss Chase, but they also have magical abilities. They will be helping us, and we will be helping them from time to time. They currently patrol this town and fight the vampires and demons that come here." said Riley.

He went on to explain about the Hellmouth to the men. The men also got a small demonstration of the girls and Giles' abilities.

"Now that that is said I will add one more thing. I will brook no disrespect to these people. They are here of their own free will and freely offer their expertise in this matter. If I should hear of any disrespect towards these people you will answer to the four of us." said Riley.

He then dismissed the team to their Team meetings. At this time Giles and the girls left. Xander promised to meet up with them later on.

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UC Sunnydale

Sunnydale, CA

May 20, 2003

Omega Force turned out to be a huge success. Major Finn and his teams received quite a bit of praise from their superiors at the Pentagon. They've had a number of missions around the country and the world, eliminating demonic threats to humanity. The teams really came together well.

Today was a special day and three of the four Omega Force leaders were at the university for it. You see today was graduation day at UC Sunnydale. Among those graduating was six of Xander's girls. Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Faith, Amy and Tara were all graduating today. Also, much to everyone's surprise, so was Xander. Unknown to everyone he had been taking long distance courses for the last several years. UC Sunnydale had offered a complete degree program this way. It was actually a pilot program that had proved itself over the last four years. Xander was one of the first graduates of it.

The other three soldiers were sitting with Giles, Joyce and Dawn watching the ceremony. To no ones surprise, Willow was the Valedictorian of the graduating class.

After the ceremony was over the graduates walked back over to their family and friends. Each of the girls got hugs and kisses from Giles and Joyce. Dawn gave them each a hug as well. Then Xander took both Buffy and Cordy into his arms and hugged them both. He kissed each of them in turn.

While he was doing this Faith was being hugged and kissed by Forrest, Amy was kissing Riley and Willow and Tara were in Graham's arms. You see this was another development in the last nine months. Though Faith and Amy had had a relationship, they had each fallen for one of the commandos. They talked it over and agreed to pursue those relationships instead of the one they were in. They still got together on occasion, though. The men knew about this and were perfectly fine with it.

Willow and Tara also found that they had both fallen for the quiet First Sgt. Miller. The two of them sat down with him one night and talked about it. They pointed out Buffy and Cordy's relationship with Xander as an example of how it could work. He agreed and the three of them started dating.

Giles and Joyce had seen these four relationships develop over the last nine months and were happy for their girls. If they were happy with their choices, then Giles and Joyce were happy. Besides, their youngest, Dawn, had gotten three more 'big brothers' out of this. The three former commandos had taken a brotherly interest in Dawn and started treating her like Xander did. That is, like a little sister. She loved all of the attention from the four men and was always excited to see them when they came over to see one or more of her 'sisters'.

After the couples broke apart the other four girls all came over to Xander and he gave them each a hug and a kiss. They returned it. His fellow soldiers just watched this happen with smiles on their faces. They knew that no matter how much the girls may love them; there would always be a part of their hearts that belonged to Xander. After all, the girls had grown up and fought the darkness with him for three years. They then had spent another three years waiting for him to come home from his assignments with the Green Berets and Delta Force. They had cheered for him when things had gone well and worried for him when he had to go away on dangerous missions. The three men thought about this while they watched the scene before them. They found that they really didn't mind this at all. The three of them liked Xander and considered him like a brother.

The whole 'family' then started back to the Giles' house for a graduation party that Giles and Joyce were throwing for the girls and Xander.

THE END 


End file.
